Parallel AI Planning
Pit two AI models against each other when planning features. Generate competing implementation plans, compare side by side, and cherry-pick the best ideas from each.
The Origin Story
This skill exists because of an auto-renewing subscription. A GitHub Copilot payment went through, and rather than cancelling it and eating the cost, the question became: "What can I actually do with this alongside Claude Code?"
The answer turned out to be surprisingly useful: use Copilot as a sparring partner for planning.
How It Works
When you're planning a feature, the skill launches a second AI model in the background while Claude Code generates its own plan. You end up with two competing implementation plans, presented side by side with a comparison table covering architecture, task breakdown, testing strategy, and unique insights.
The two plans almost always catch different things. One model might suggest a simpler architecture while the other spots an edge case. One breaks tasks down more granularly. One thinks about testing differently. The best outcome is usually a hybrid — cherry-picking the strongest ideas from each.
Not Just Copilot
The skill is written to work with any second model that has a CLI interface. GitHub Copilot CLI is the default because that's what prompted the idea, but the same pattern works with:
- OpenAI CLI for GPT-based planning
- Ollama for local models (free, private)
- Any tool that accepts text input and returns text output
Swap out the background command and you're set.
Making Lemons into Lemonade
The broader lesson: if you're already paying for multiple AI tools, make them compete. A single model gives you one perspective. Two models give you a conversation between perspectives. The cost of running both is the subscription you're already paying for — the value is catching the things that one model alone would miss.
Setup
- Download the skill file below
- Create a directory:
.claude/skills/copilot-plan/ - Save the file as
SKILL.mdin that directory - Install your preferred second model CLI tool and configure authentication
Ready to use this skill?
Drop it into your .claude/skills/ folder and you're ready.
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